The key is knowing where they are coming from and taking the proper actions. I know this because it happened to me. It turns out the were crawling in to the laundry basket from the laundry room. Only a few at a time. They were not coming in through the wall via baseboards, outlets and whatnot. If that was the case, then yes, it would have been worse.Also, do not give into media hype. It's not that bad and I live in the #4 city.

So what? Ya get bit by a bedbug! ZOMG. Big deal. Spider, gnat, flea, chigger, mosquito...you're gonna get bit by something. What's this freakish paranoia with bebugs? And oh yeah, how are those gamma rays treatin ya?

I had never experienced bedbugs until late last year. It was on a trip to Washington DC, and I stayed in a very cheap hotel. You could tell that this was not a place you should stay in, but it was late and I didnt have much of a choice (other than sleep in the car).

From Chicago - no experience with them before so didnt think I should check the bed for signs.

Got bit up and had an allergic reaction.

Always always always check for signs before sleeping in a strange place. Its not hard to tell.

The key is knowing where they are coming from and taking the proper actions. I know this because it happened to me. It turns out the were crawling in to the laundry basket from the laundry room. Only a few at a time. They were not coming in through the wall via baseboards, outlets and whatnot. If that was the case, then yes, it would have been worse.Also, do not give into media hype. It's not that bad and I live in the #4 city.

In my last apartment building, the apartment next door had a steady flux of temporary residents. I flipped when I found bedbugs in my sheets. Took all the steps to get rid of them (washing EVERYTHING, getting everything sprayed by the exterminator). I was lucky; they never got into my furniture, so it didn't have to be replaced. The exterminator told me the neighbors had done nothing to prepare for the spraying, and there were smashed bedbugs everywhere on the walls. I kept everything wrapped up in bags or stored in lidded plastic bins until I moved out a couple months later. Seemed like forever. Thank God they didn't follow me; even the though of them now gives me the willies.

The key is knowing where they are coming from and taking the proper actions. I know this because it happened to me. It turns out the were crawling in to the laundry basket from the laundry room. Only a few at a time. They were not coming in through the wall via baseboards, outlets and whatnot. If that was the case, then yes, it would have been worse.Also, do not give into media hype. It's not that bad and I live in the #4 city.

I lived in DC for 5 years. When I first moved there I lived in downtown Fairfax. shiat hole apartments, Layton Hall. Anyways, while living there we had roaches, bed bugs, a mold covered ceiling, gang-members looking for prior residences and all other sorts of fun things.

Got rid of the roaches with boric acid...it works, 100%, every time. When we broke our lease after living there for 3 months we tossed a recliner and our mattress, all the other furniture went with us, on the way out the door I had a bucket with a borax/water mixture that I wiped everything down with. We didn't have any recurrence of roaches or bedbugs at the next place in Chantilly.

I had a bedbug infestation while living in university housing in Scotland. They had pest control come twice, to spray my sub-200 sq ft room. It didn't seem to do much of anything, there were still tons of them. They did say I had the worst infestation they had ever come across...lucky me.

Anyway, I decided to take matters into my own hands, as the University wouldn't let me change rooms longer than it took the spray to dissipate. I did a little research and purchased pyrethin spray and powder. This is a natural chemical extracted from chrysanthemum flowers.

I didn't buy it because it was natural, I could care less, but the information I found indicated it worked really well. Before I sprayed my entire room with the stuff, I wanted to make sure it worked. So I turned off the lights in my room for about 30 min, went back in, and found a bedbug on my wall. Sprayed that fuker one time, and it died instantly.

Anyway, it took one application with the powder being spread along the floor at the base of each wall, and the spray being used everywhere else. Never saw them again, and since I lived there for another 2.5 months afterwards, I think I can say that I wiped them out.

Johnsnownw:I did a little research and purchased pyrethin spray and powder. This is a natural chemical extracted from chrysanthemum flowers.

Pyrethin works great on insects, one of the most effective and long-lasting ways to eliminate infestations.

If you have cats or fish (and to a lesser extent, dogs), avoid Pyrethrin & pyrethroids, or utilize extreme caution when and where you use it, it is toxic. As in, dead pets.

It's not clear whether these insecticides have long term effects in humans, some studies suggest they are neurotoxic in all mammals. Toxicity symptoms in humans include respiratory issues, headache, nausea, incoordination, tremors, convulsions, facial flushing and swelling, and burning and itching sensations. There are suggestions that exposure, especially to unborn infants, lowers IQ.